Representatives from the Huntsville Housing Authority and Work Force Housing spent about an hour Tuesday outlining a proposal to build three 40-unit apartment complexes in different parts of town to potentially replace Searcy Homes.

Quisha Riche with Work Force Housing told a large group of Searcy residents the new public housing units would be "very comparable" to private apartments.

All units would have G.E. appliances, washer and dryer hookups, private balconies with storage closets and access to a large community clubhouse. And at 788 square feet for a one-bedroom and 1,056 square feet for a two-bedroom, they would have more elbow room than Searcy Homes.

"I think that all in all, you're really going to like this housing stock better than where you are now," housing authority Executive Director Michael Lundy told the standing-room-only crowd at the Albert F. Farrar Sr. Scout Hut.

Consolidated Construction is affiliated with Work Force Housing and would serve as general contractor.

The company has the three apartment sites under option through early October. The properties are on Winchester Road across from Union Chapel Missionary Baptist Church, on the north side of Research Park Boulevard between Alabama 53 and Blake Bottom Road, and on Newson Road near McDonnell Elementary School.

Searcy residents had lots of questions:

Would there be enough space for a playground? Yes.

What type of flooring would the apartments have? Tile.

Which high schools are those areas served by? Lee, Columbia and Butler for Winchester Road, Research Park Boulevard and Newson Road, respectively.

Do any of the sites have loud train tracks nearby? The same Norfolk Southern rail line that passes Searcy Homes also crosses near the Winchester Road location.

Lundy cautioned that the apartments have not yet been approved by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development or the housing authority's Board of Commissioners. Even if that happens, he said, the agency would still have to find more than $13 million to pay for construction.

The housing authority has just over $5 million available from selling the former Councill Courts site near Huntsville Hospital to a team of private developers. The rest could come from a combination of HUD Replacement Housing Factor dollars, city Community Development Block Grant and HOME funds, affordable housing loans and other sources.

The 78 units at Searcy Homes opened in 1971. Nearly 250 people live there, including a number of small children.

Gloria Harris, president of the Searcy Homes resident council, said she is concerned about a lack of public transportation at the Winchester Road and Research Park Boulevard sites because an estimated 40 percent of Searcy residents do not own a vehicle.

Overall, though, Harris said she came away from Tuesday's meeting feeling better about the proposed apartments.

"I love the layout and the design, too," she said. "I just want all of the residents to be happy, no matter where they go."